Cochinita Pibil

Country Of Origin: Mexico 🇲🇽

Cochinita pibil is a Mexican pork dish originating from Yucatan. Pork is marinated in a combination of annatto paste, bitter orange juice, and garlic. It's then slowly baked, shredded & served on tortillas, tacos, or on its own with shallots, pickled onions, salsa, and various roasted vegetables on top. It is characterized by the red color of the meat, imparted by the annatto seeds from the marinade. Originally, pork was wrapped in banana leaves prior to baking, but today aluminum foil or any other suitable wrapping can be used instead. Since cochinita means 'baby pig', and pibil means 'buried' or 'underground', it acts as a proof that the original recipe used a whole suckling pig that was buried in a pit for roasting. This Mayan-influenced dish is most often served on weekends in many Mexican homes, usually as a Sunday family ritual.

History: Cochinita pibil is a Mayan dish that has its origins before the arrival of the Spanish. At the Hanal Pixán party, this dish was offered to the souls of the deceased during the Day of the Dead celebrations. In the beginning, it was not made from pork, but from pheasant or venison, and it was cooked in pib — a typical earth oven in the region. Later, when the Spanish introduced the pig in the conquest, the dish evolved. The pork was cooked in the pib, marinated in achiote with orange juice, and seasoned with the spices of the region.

Fun Fact: Cochinita pibil is a recurring element of the movie Once Upon a Time in Mexico directed by Robert Rodriguez, where it is the favorite food of a CIA agent played by Johnny Depp, who orders this dish every time he enters a Mexican restaurant and urges every person he has lunch with to taste it.

Our Favorite Recipe: https://www.seriouseats.com/cochinita-pibil-yucatan-barbecue-mexican-smoked-pork-recipe

Don't have time to make the dish? No problem! Try some of these delicious products with all the flavor and none of the hassle: Cochinita Pibil Shredded Pork Meat, Cochinita Pibil Shredded Pork Meat In A Can or Cochinita Pibil Variety Pack.

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